and breaking right now. former penn state jerry sandusky waives hi hearing this morning, saying he was not ready to present his side of the story. now the case is headed straight to trial. break overnight, choppers down. two army scout helicopters go down in a horrifying, split-second crash outside seattle, killing all four soldiers on board. did they collide in midair? remarkable recovery. hi the parents of a former model say her new milestone is a miracle. walking the hallways on her own. new detail this is morning. and the ultimate party crashers. how one couple picked up their phone call and ended up at paris

hilton's birthday bash. how adam sandler helped them crack the code. >> and good morning, everyone. to our viewers out west, an unexpected twist. jerry sandusky leaving the courthouse unexpectedly. he waived a pretrial hearing. he said he wanted to wait for the opportunity to present his side of the story. we'll have the story just ahead. >> the victims were going to be there to confront him face to face. that will now happen in january. fighting words for mutt romney. the gloves are off. it's gone t very personal, very quickly from both front-runners. >> getting down to the nitty-gritty.

first, the new developments from penn state. we'll have that ahead. first to josh. good morning, josh. a lot of breaking news to get to. news out of washington state this morning. two military helicopters have crashed near tacoma in training exercises. four solders have been killed in the crashes. it's still unclear in the helicopters, similar to the one right there, collided or crashed separately. the base is one of the military's largest, with more than 100,000 personnel. we're following a story from texas this morning. two a boys playi ining basketba outside their middle school have been shot. police are questioning three men that were hunting deer near the school. it's unclear if the shootings were, in fact, accidental. tense moments caught on camera as protesters try to shut down the port of seattle. >> use your heads.

>> police fired back with person spray and stun grenades, arresting nearly 100 people. more than 1,000 protesters disrupted ports overnight from oakland to portland, oregon, and into washington. many are vowing to return today. meanwhile, executives accused of causing the biggest bank failure in history won't have to pay much, if anything, for their actions. the ceo of washington mutual was sued. this morning, the wall street journal reports that the fdic has settled that lawsuit for just $75 million and most of that will be paid using the bank's old assets and insurance. and some eye-opening new figures out this morning showing the toll the economic crisis is taking on our children. 1 in 45 american children is now

homeless. that's 1.6 million kids. a 33% increase since 2007. and alec baldwin may not have had the last laugh after all. american airlines says it's considering a request by the flight attendants union to ban "30 rock" from all flights unless they get a public apology. baldwin spoofed the incident over the weekend. he played a pilot from american apologizing to alec baldwin. that may have worked, but his show might not now. >> and the real pilot was not pleased. >> i bet you the flight attendants win that one. >> i wouldn't want to be messing with my flight attendants. now to the latest on the penn state scandal. an unexpected twist in the pretrial hearing. jerry sandusky walked out of

court this morning. jim avila has the latest. >> reporter: a koom shocker today. all along, jerry sandusky and his attorney have been saying they relish the opportunity to face their accusers. today, an abrupt change of mind. they cancelled the plim mare hearing. walked out of court before hearing the witnesses. sandusky arrived with his attorney and four rows of supporters. moments after the judge took the bench, the attorneys approached and told the judge they would waive the right to challenge the a accusered today. he said his day in court would come later in the game. >> stay the course. wait for four quarters for the opportunity to present our side. >> reporter: the attorney general seemed pleased with the

change. >> the victims in the case, though they were ready to testify today, will not have to testify. >> reporter: the accusers were in the building and were ready to testify today, among them, the boy identified as victim six. whose mother reported in 1998 that he showerered with the boy. he's now 24, scarred, say his attorneys, but he was determined to tell his story. >> i don't want there to be any misunderstanding. we're not in any way conceding guilt. jerry is more adamant than ever in his innocence. today's decision was a tactical measure. based upon analysis of what was going transpire. >> reporter: so late today, there was word that while the accusers were ready to testify, many of them were not in the building. some had been told last night that the prosecution that, in fact, there would be no

preliminary hearing today. this all sets up, of course, the case going directly to trial, unless there is a plea bargain. robin, back to you. >> thank you, jim. we're going bring in dan abrams. it's not uncommon for them to waive. >> after all this bluster. about the defense team, we want to present our side, get them on the record. to come forward at the last minute to say, we're going the waive, that's the only part that makes it unusual. i think this is a defense team concerned about more negative p.r. why did they have sandusky go public? do interviews? they were hoping to change public opinion. now imagine that the accusers come forward and testify, we all report about it. what's going to happen to jerry sandusky? you could argue it couldn't get

worse. i think with the testimony of these individuals, pointing the finger at him, sitting in court across from him, that would be devastating as matter of public relations. >> we saw sandusky. he addressed cameras again, speaking in sports terms. we plan to put together the defense to stay the course, fight for four quarters. we want the opportunity to present our side. >> and they will. they knew they were going to lose in the preliminary hearing. we talked about that earlier. the question was, did they want to get witnesses on the record to use it later? to waive now, some will say, could this mean there's a plea deal? >> they said no. >> who is offering him a plea? that requires two sides coming forward together saying we want to work out a deal. i cannot see prosecutors accepting anything short of a guilty plea. if that's the deal, you plead

guilty. that's the only deal i can think of. >> what do you think of the alleged victims. they're set to testify, at the last hour, they're told, no, go home. >> i would think maybe there's relief. this is not easy. this is hard stuff, to go into a courtroom and have to sit there across from the man you say abused you as a child, that's hard stuff. there's some agree of relief on their part, i'm sure. though i think it's clear, they want to have their say, and to particularly rebut the public statements. >> wait now for the trial to be set. thanks, dan. now to politics, your voice, your voigt. with three weeks to go before the first vote, the race for the republican nomination has take an turn. mitt romney unleashed his first personal attacks against newt gingrich. he fired back. james carville and matt dourd will be here to talk about that.

john berman first with more. >> reporter: avoid initiating attacks on other republican candidates. god luck. a frank exchange with romney? that's another way to say bringing it. overnight, newt gingrich claimed to be calling a truce. >> i'll release a letter indicating our determination to run a positive campaign. >> reporter: we'll see. this follows 24 hours of political shifs and sharp elbows. it started with mitt romney suggesting he return the money made from fred ddie mac. boom. >> if he would like to give back the money he made after his years of bane, i would be willing to listen to him. >> reporter: boom, the romney

camp responded. >> governor romney and his business career created more jobs than the entire obama cabinet. >> reporter: boom, boom. this is how campaigns work. >> there's no whines in politics. 10,000 bucks? >> i was a little taken aback by it. >> reporter: the democrats joined in, printing a mitt romney $10,000 bill. romney found a denernd herman cain. >> i don't think that was the gaffe of the century. >> reporter: gingrich is taking hits, too. from ron paul. >> newt gingrich was a career politician. selling access here in washington, d.c. >> reporter: but there are those having a little fun with it all. >> when asked to comment, mitt say, i'm sorry. that's all i had in my pocket at the time. >> as for newt's call for a sort

of truce, romney insiders said over night, newt gingrich should tell that to newt gingrich. they said they hope drawing gingrich into these confrontations will bait him into saying something he regrets. >> let's get more from matthew dowd and james carville. this was a shift for the romney campaign. he wasn't willing to go personal on newt gingrich, as late as saturday night. >> we're going to see more of this. when obama said to senator clinton, i like you good enough, hillary. we had a collective fit in the democrat party. now we're seeing what real negativity looks like. it's going to get more and more

like the paul commercial you showed. >> it's the second one for ron paul. ma matthew, let's bring you in. newt gave as good as he got. going straight at romney's record at bain capital. he was using the same argument that ted kennedy used to beat mitt romney in 1994. the same argument that barack obama would like to use. in the general election. this is something they had staid away from so far. and newt is showing he will be ruthless to get the nomination. >> this shows actually that this is a nomination that everybody in the republican party knows is worth having. they know the president is vulnerable. they know the president can be beat. now, that you have two titans going at it, knowing whoever gets the republican nomination has a good shot at going to the white house. so, i think that's what it is. >> but let me ask you -- >> i think that newt needs to stop -- i think newt needs to stop this and get above this and go back to how he performed in this debate over the course of the summer and the fall because

that's when he rose. the more he gets dragged down into this, i think the worse for him. >> that may be why he put out that truce last night. but i wonder -- and you did work for president george w. bush in his war room, is there a danger here -- you're seeing attacks from romney and newt gingrich. you can imagine president obama quoting either romney or gingrich in the general election if either gets the nomination. >> yeah. that's part of the problem with that. you provide fodder for the democratic national committee and president obama. they don't have to say it. now they can repeat it. they can say, well, republicans said x, y and z about mitt romney and newt gingrich, that's the problem. to me, and james knows this, these heated primaries aren't determinative of the primary election. as you all both know, and james knows very well, in 1992, after the primaries were done, bill clinton was in third, behind ross perot and george bush after he took on a lot of water. these things have a tendency to measure out over the long haul. it's not a good thing. but they're not determinative of

the general election. >> so far, these attacks have pretty much bounced off speaker gingrich, even though the romney campaign earlier thought that his past baggage would make him implode. so far, that's not happening. >> national polls have shown some slippage. not anything dramatic. but when you start to slip, it will be interesting to see if this continues. and i'm almost certain that the romney people and other people will roll out grenades at gingrich. i think we're about the third inning between the iowa caucuses. he's been effective at beating this stuff back. and he's been effective at counterattacking. i think we're going to see a lot more. and the truth of the matter is, i think neither matt, i nor you, know who is going to win this in iowa. it's really up in the air. it will be interesting to see who the social conservatives rally around. >> even ron paul, you mentioned him. he could come up strong, maybe even win. matt, picking up on james' point

on other things coming out. i was struck yesterday by newt gingrich taking that fidelity pledge, pledging he was going to remain faithful to his wife. when mitt romney was asked about it, in the debate, he didn't seem to take the bait. but yesterday, he said, i have no plans to go at that issue yet. do you think this issue is -- has been put away for the rest of the nomination fight or not? >> i think it's been pretty much put away for the rest of the nomination fight. there may be quietly talked about. but you know, asking the questions and going through that, i think newt gingrich answered it well. everybody else had their time to talk about it. i think that's put away. but going to the negative, mitt romney has about a week for this to happen. and then, it shuts down for the christmas holidays. then, you get new year's. if he's going to make something stick, he's going to make it stick in the next six or seven days. then, we go into the christmas holidays. and you can't do it that time. >> it's going to be a ferocious week. thank you very much. time for the weather and sam champion. >> good morning, everyone. tuesday morning and a big system moves through the middle of the country. it's not snow. it's so warm, it's rain.

it's rain from l.a. to chicagoland. if you look around dallas, the bull's eye of more than two inches, that's tyler, long view, in that area. and also off kansas city. springfield, davenport, chicagoland, getting the heaviest rain out of this system. where's the snow? this is last year's map at this time. about 35% of the nation was covered with snow. this is this year's map. and this is all gone as of yesterday. less than 20% of the country has snow, as we roll up from -- towards christmas. that's a big difference than where we were last year. this system is all rain. mostly rain.

>> if it's true that you don't know what you've got until it's gone, do you miss the snow, robin? do you miss it? >> let me think about that. do you have a little icing -- a little cake icing -- >> that would be fun from

yesterday. >> maybe. >> thanks, sam. >> a good topic today. >> all right. coming up here on "gma," now, to the encouraging signs for that former model who was hit by the plane propeller. lauren scruggs, we're talking about. she's showing amazing progress and resilience. abc's ryan owens has the latest on her remarkable recovery. >> reporter: they were just a few steps. but this morning, lauren scruggs' parents are calling them a miracle. for the first time since her horrific accident, the 23-year-old model is walking the hallways of her dallas hospital all on her own. she is even eating some of her favorite foods again. sweet potatoes and hard-boiled eggs, as her father told us late last week. >> it's just a miracle to see the progress she's been making. >> reporter: a tough journey that began just more than a week ago. when an airplane propeller sliced into scruggs' face and shoulder and cut off her left hand. the latest update on a website set up by family and friends

exclaims, lauren's pain is much more manageable today. >> she's got her spunk back. her personality. >> reporter: although she's more alert and talking, doctors remain concerned she may lose her left eye. but are pleased with the healing of her facial nerves. >> she's smiling. she's able to raise both eyebrows. that doesn't sound like a big deal. but they were worried about the nerve on one side. but she's able to do that. we're so grateful and thankful for all of that. >> go cowboys. >> come on. >> come on. >> reporter: lo, as her family and friends affectionately call her, still has a long way to go. but she's now taking her own steps down the road to recovery. for "good morning america," ryan owens, abc news, dallas. >> little good news. >> my gosh. and to see her parents smiling again, too. >> that is great. >> positive. coming up on "gma," a shoot-out caught on camera. new details emerging on what

really happened with the hollywood shooter and the music executive caught in the crossfire. and lindsay lohan reveals all. als all. hd 4 glad that one's over. yeah, i know what you mean. cigarette? you coming? umm, nah you go ahead. i'm good. alright. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicorette mini helps relieve cravings in minutes. so you can quit one cigarette at a time. nicorette mini helps you go from one little win to another. until you reach your goal. nicorette mini. quit one cigarette at a time.

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back to business at the port of oakland this morning. just a handful of protesters voted to pack up and let the 7 a.m. shift of longshoremen and truckers get back to work. it has been 24 hours of disruption. oakland's mayor says the

protest was economic violence and it harmed workers trying to make a living. >> live pictures of an earlier house fire close to the menlo atherton high school. the fire is out, lanes are still blocked this is near coleman give yourself extra time if you are heading through the area. southbound 680 walnut creek traffic heavy there. live shot of north 101 heavy from an earlier crash here's 680 in walnut creek there's that southbound heavy traffic from 242. >> thank you frances. when we come back mike has a

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northbound from sutro tower some of the thick fog visibility less than a quarter mile in novato. check out temperature 32°. thick frost, black ice possible the only place we've heard about it is in dixon. by the afternoon sunshine clouds mid to upper 50s same for tomorrow, isolated shower is possible wednesday. have

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oh, my god! are you all right? >> that is hollywood and vine. and you are seeing a shooter friday afternoon, in broad daylight. a music executive was caught in the crossfire. he died overnight. we're going to have all the details in that amazing shootout caught on camera, in just a minute. >> incredibly sad. and lindsay lohan revealing so much in her brand-new interview. she posed, as you know, for "playboy." and you may be surprised to hear who she blames for many of her run ins with the law. >> we'll talk about that. also, the ultimate party crashers. we're going to meet a couple who had the wrong cell phone number. it got them into paris hilton's birthday party. and a whole bunch of other terrific parties, full of celebrities. they're going to be here live to tell us their story. >> you really have to stick around to hear that story.

first, in this half hour, a dramatic development in that shooting caught on tape at the busy hollywood intersection. one of the victims, a top music executive died overnight, as george said. abbie boudreau is there in los angeles with the details for us. good morning, abbie. >> reporter: good morning, robin. it's hard to get the images out of your mind. a gunman walking down sunset boulevard, randomly shooting at drivers. and now, we've learned one of those victims has died. >> oh, my god. you all right? >> reporter: a brazen morning shooting spree in hollywood. all captured on cell phone video, as it unfolded. john atterberry, a 40-year-old music executive, was shot in the face on friday. his silver mercedes, just one of the cars caught in the crossfire. at sunset and vine. >> there's a madman in the street. >> reporter: the gunman, tyler p brehm, scheming that he wanted

to die, randomly fired more than 20 shots in the street at passing cars. at one point, stopping to ask for more ammunition. >> i need ammo. >> i don't have any, man. >> reporter: nearby, people looked from offices and windows. >> i wanted to give him a clear target to distract him from what he was doing. >> shoot me. come on. i love you, man. >> reporter: moments later, brehm was killed by police. overnight, atterberry, who worked with artists suches a snoop dogg and michael jackson, died after three days in critical condition. >> he was a wonderful, wonderful individual. >> reporter: his girlfriend spoke to kabc. >> he was an awesome friend to have. an awesome person in your life. >> reporter: tyler brehm, had recently broken up with his girlfriend, alicia alligood. the day before the shooting, brehm left her 14 voice messages and said he loved her. she described brehm as, quote,

really stressed out lately. and says, he just started taking prescription drugs. two other people were injured during the shooting spree. but the injuries were minor. such a tragic situation. robin? >> certainly is. all right, abbie. thank you very much. >> okay, robin, thanks. now, to lindsay lohan. she has grown up in the tabloids. every detail of her personal life exposed to public scrutiny. so much of it brought on herself. now, she's getting more exposure posing for "playboy." she needed the payday. but at what cost? andrea canning has more on the latest chapter in the lindsay lohan saga. >> reporter: right. this is just about the article, though, right? >> maybe a couple of pictures. >> reporter: maybe we'll show you a couple of pg photos. lohan was supposed to show her spread on "the ellen shoe." by friday, the whole spread was on the web, prompting hugh hefner to release the issue ahead of schedule. straddling the iconic bunny on the cover, lindsay lohan opens up to "playboy" and the world. >> inside lindsay lohan's leaked

"playboy" spread -- >> reporter: in the ten-page spread that includes mostly nude photos, channeling marilyn monroe, said it's an important thing for me as a woman. sex and sexuality are part of nature. i go along with nature. hefner tweeted lohan is hot, hot, hot. will this be the comeback she's in desperate need of? it's been a rough few years for the troubled star, with five trips to jail, five rehab stints and a stalled movie career. lohan tells "playboy," my stubbornness at 18 years old and 19 years old, got in the way. during the past five years, i've learned that time flies faster than you think. and because you only live once, you have to learn from your mistakes, live your dreams and be accountable. lohan, who reportedly made $1 million posing for "playboy," question why the tabloids are so interested in every detail of her life. >> you violate their rules, they kick you out. that's it. >> reporter: including her dressing to impress for the judge. saying magazines are doing pictorials on my wardrobe to

court. that's just so unimportant. but lohan made headlines again this weekend in hawaii, after she reported her purse with $10,000 cash, a passport and court documents had been stolen. tmz obtained audio of an angry lindsay, fearing she was going to miss another court date. >> i will [ bleep ] kill someone if i even have to get questioned [ bleep ]. >> reporter: her purse, passport and i.d. were returned, but not the large amount of pocket cash. we can look for more of the court fashions this week. lindsay is due back in court tomorrow, a status hearing to check in with the judge. make sure she's following through with her morgue duties. now as for hugh hefner, he's working hard to sell this issue, saying it will make the perfect christmas present for your father, son, or boyfriend. >> i do not think my wife is going to get me that for christmas. let's bring in abc news consultant and reputations.com's howard bragman. thanks for coming in. lindsay says in the article,

she's learned from her mistakes. i can't see how this fits into a career comeback strategy. >> this has nothing to do with career. this is cash flow. it's the only thing. this girl has virtually no movie career. her last film did under $1 million worldwide. it didn't even open in the u.s. and she needed money. i imagine with a shoot like this in "playboy," you get paid a base. and you get paid a little bump if it sells more. maybe $1 million for her. which is why she was carrying $10,000 at the party last saturday. >> it will help pay the bills. she did seem to say the right things. >> she's always said the right things. and that's the thing about lindsay. she's an actor. you can put the words in her mouth and she says it. but i don't think any of us are willing to believe it. >> to follow through on the actions. >> exactly. again and again, she gets in trouble and blames other people. until this young lady can accept responsibility for her life and her demons, we're just going to see sadness played out before us. >> let's try to play it out a little bit.

let's say she follows the straight and narrow. fulfills all of her parole and probation responsibilities, how could she start to get the building blocks of a new career? >> listen. let's understand. she's a beautiful, young lady with great talent. what i would do if i were working with her, put her in a smaller movie, an interesting part. but she's got to show up on time. she has to show up ready to work. she has to know her lines, treat other people well, not be a prima donna. and that's the hardest part. >> and if she doesn't do that, the producers simply won't fire her. >> exactly. she was on one film. and one of the executives said this is not happening and went really public, which you rarely do with actors. all of the responsibility is hers now to be the good kid. >> thanks very much. >> thanks, george. let's go to sam with the weather. >> hey, george. hey, howard. hey, "good morning america." i'll tell you where there's follow-through. this la nina isn't happening. storm after storm, in the southwest. this is one low that's pounding

with heavy rain. going to bring some more to the southwest coast. and look at another one behind it. all this is dry. the first ten days of december, one of the driest ever in that seattle area. all the way in the northwest, it's been gorgeous weather. but no moisture there at all. in with the next low, we have winter storm watches, warnings and advisories out. this one starts in north platte and goes to the u.p. of michigan. that's a little bit of freezing drizzle that will happen with today's rainmaker in the middle of the country. patchy ice. but no snow to speak of out of >> and haul that weather was brought to you by capital one. george? >> thank you, sam. coming up, new details on the grandmother accused of

trying to gun down her son-in-law. her unbelievable move after firing those shots. gives you a 50% annual bonus! so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ]

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we're back at 7:42. new details on that stunning shooting we first showed you yesterday. a 66-year-old grandmother, unloading on her sister-in-law. all captured on a cell phone. she's now been charged with attempted murder. abc's matt gutman is following this case for us from miami.

and i understand there's quite a backstory here. >> reporter: that's right, robin. adding insult to those gunshot wounds, 66-year-old cheryl hepner, allegedly filed a restraining order against the son-in-law she shot the day before. and calling 911, telling dispatchers that she had been the victim. abc news has learned the morning after she supposedly pulled a pistol on her son-in-law, in this cookie cutter south florida senior community. cheryl hepner sought a restraining order against him. but after seeing this video -- [ gunshots ] >> i can't believe you shot me. i can't believe you [ bleep ] shot me. >> reporter: hepner was arrested and denied bail. investigators said hepner fired three shots at sal miglino. her attorney claims she is innocent, a victim of domestic violence, rather than a

perpetrator. this isn't their first run-in. abc news has obtained hundreds of pages of court records, outlining years of bitter court proceedings. including the latest restraining order, filed against miglino, by hepner and his estranged wife. the county sheriff leaves the charges against hepner could have been first-degree murder. >> it was a .22. he survived those shots. it was a high-powered weapon, the outcome might not have been so favorable. >> reporter: instead, miglino managed to vamible into his car, bleeding. investigators found that gun. and found it had jammed. do they think she would have kept shooting him, had that gun not jammed? >> there's no question in my mind. >> reporter: and complicating this story, dueling 911 calls. >> what's your emergency? >> someone just shot at me. >> reporter: investigators say that's not true. that this was the real call for

help. >> what's the address of your emergency? >> she [ bleep ] shot me. >> reporter: neighbors we spoke to, robin, said they couldn't believe this was the same loving, doting grandmother they saw in the neighborhood. but investigators tell us they now believe she tried to lure him in the house to try to murder him there, where there would be fewer witnesses. >> thank you, matt. have a good day. coming up, josh's "play of the day." going to be hard to top yesterday. and partying with paris. how a wrong number turned into an invitation to all of the right hollywood parties. an invitation to all of the right hollywood parties. you're going to hear about this. e done done done,done,done almost done. done done done done done,done,done,done,done done done done

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here's "the play of the day." >> hi-ya. hi-ya. that was yesterday. that was pretty good. >> that was a good one. >> we're going to see yesterday's again. >> please. >> at some point, too. i promise. but take a look at this. we get a lot of submissions

every day. and every now and then, you wonder if something is real. this is actually real. it's legitimate and literal street skiing. >> wow. >> this is down -- an avenue. yeah. two people involved in the shooting. skier and director and cameraman. take a look at this. it bears mentioning, the director on clearing the path for the shoot -- >> whoa. >> he said he's never shoveled so much, if you know what i'm saying, in his life, to clear the way. that's all real, george. >> you wouldn't. >> wow. >> that's really good. >> where is it again? >> british columbia. part of a feature-length film called "all i can." >> wow. >> yeah, beautiful. >> george, you can rephrase this, like i did. >> yeah.

>> in times square. >> with a coffee mug. >> wow. >> tremendous stuff again. thank you for that. it was award-winning documentary. not surprising. let's get to karate kid. >> come on. >> has there ever been -- >> here it comes. >> oh, yeah. >> come on. come on. come on. >> hi-ya. come on. >> hi-ya. hi-ya. dad. did y it's 22 days, 11 hours and 2 minutes to christmas? [ mumbling ] ...enny days, 8 hours, 9 minutes... 18 days, 17 hours... [ mom ] let's go, young lady. [ female announcer ] they're for building excitement for christmas. 12 days, 18 hours... come on. it's no days! [ female announcer ] the hallmark countdown to christmas ornament. 5 hours and 59 minutes and 41... 40...39... 38...37...36... the pain was so frustrating. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves

that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means i can feel better and do more of what i love. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision, or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today.

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a state lawmaker is set to veil legislation that he says could help california college students save billions. he wants to put textbooks for most basic college courses online, for free. still the thickest fog this morning up in the north bay novato less than a quarter mile visibility still near freezing. around mostly sunny mid to upper 50s, slight chance of a shower thursday. southbound 101 extra heavy millbrae to palo alto bay bridge backed up to the maze

all the usual jams in place, san rafael southbound, southbound through walnut creek. >> the news continues now with "good morning america." [ female announcer ] dry, cracked hands? gold bond ultimate concentrated cream heals and protects like lotion can't. gold bond concentrated therapy. real medicine, ultimate healing.

♪ [ cheers and applause ] look at that great crowd we have out there here in times square this tuesday morning. they're listening to lady gaga and "telephone." it's all part of our story about the ultimate party crashers. the couple that turned a wrong number into a hollywood adventure. they wound up at her birthday party. paris hilton's birthday party. they're here live to tell us about their encounters with hollywood's a-list. >> yeah, that's us. be we go to all the big parties. >> no big deal. we have a new "doc at your door" today. rich besser went to the mall for the holidays. going to show you all the ways

to make sure you don't get unhealthy as you go shopping. is going to find the best foods for you to eat. and the least germy places. and the most germy places. i can't believe i used the word germy. >> real quick, i want to wish a happy 21st birthday to stage manager, angie, today. >> happy birthday. thank you. that is the woman that keeps us running on time. >> we want to hear all about it tomorrow. alicia keys is on for you. she's opening up about the brand-new project that she is staging right here in new york. and why she has her heart set on making it on broadway. >> "stick fly." she can make it anywhere. >> that's all coming up. first, the news from josh. georges, thanks. we begin with former penn state football coach jerry sandusky. he's unexpectedly waived a court pretrial hearing today. he was expected to come face to

face with the accusers today. that will not happen now. he remained defiant. >> we fully intend to put toes the best possible defense that we can do. to stay the course, to fight for four quarters. >> his arraignment is scheduled for january 11th. he remains under house arrest. breaking news overseas. an attack at a bus station in europe. two people have been killed, 64 injured. one of those killed including the attacker. he threw and grenades into the bus station in the city center. they do not believe this was terrorism related. right here at home, investigators in washington state are trying to determine what caused to helicopters to crash during training exercises. all four soldiers on board were killed. it's unclear if the helicopters collided or crashed separately.

come encouraging news for those looking for a job. a report out today says there should be a 9% increase in companies looking to hire in the near future. in a letter to his staff this morning, gingrich says he will not attack over republicans. he's urging supporters not to donate money for negative advertising. running a positive, sluices-based campaign is to only way to make sure that president obama doesn't get re-elected. gingrich fired back at romney yesterday asking him to return all the money me made layingoff people and breaking up companies over his career. have you seen the electric bill lately? you might want to. power bills are now costing the

typical american family more than $300 a year. remember all the talk about schools getting rid of vending machines that sell unhealthy foods? the kids are not going for the healthier foods. the schools are losing so much money. they may have to bring the junk food back. money from the vending machines does help pay for school bands and other clubs. here's diane with a preview of tonight's "world news." >> a good tuesday morning to you, josh. you're going to be joining us tonight. i want everyone to know that you're exploring the new real modern family in america. something we didn't know, so many men are now doing at home. and we'll see you tonight for "world news." josh? >> it's going to be great. yeah. it's going to be nice. i spent a day with some stay-at-home dads yesterday. yeah. it was really, really great. really, really nice.

also, finally, i'm on the wayward waterfowl beat here. we have something of a mystery served. two penguins had an unusual affection towards each other. these two fellas are actually moving on. buddy and pedro, they were known as toronto's gay penguins. jimmy kimmel even joked they lived on brokeback iceberg. the zoo officials separated them, hoping they would mate with females. the birds are, in fact, endangered. and buddy has done just that. pedro -- meanwhile -- >> heartbroken. >> he is eyeing the girls, as well. it seems penguin passion knows no bounds. they wanted to expand their family. >> should we just let him hang here? >> hey, everybody -- happy birthday to angie. >> yay. >> nice save. >> hi-ya. >> when in doubt. all right. now, to pop news. >> that's right. good morning to all of you. and now, to the hottest apps of the year. iphone's photo program, instagram. you know the one.

it makes it almost impossible to take a bad shot. if you don't know it, check it out. it is walking off with top honors from apple, calling the best from 2011. but some very ferocious competition from some birds out there. voted most popular by all of you. angry birds, the most downloads of any ipad app. it's out there this year. and talk about hand/eye coordination. michael haig started stacking sippy cups at the age of 2. and today, at 6 years old, the michigan boy holds eight world records, including at the world's stacking championship. take a look. there it is. shows dad. >> looks like 7.3 on tape. there it is. >> nice work, buddy. very, very fast. so, what's next for michael? well, the 6-year-old will compete at the world speed stacking association's second annual speed cup event, in

january, in north carolina. we wish you the best. 6 years old. that's some serious hand/eye coordination. so, up next, daniel craig. that's not daniel craig. but many have confused them. >> it happens. >> elliott, josh elliott. daniel craig might have to do extra work in the gym to get into top physical form for his next bond movie. remember the blue bathing suit scene? don't act like you don't remember it. >> what? >> since then, he had to get scrawny for "cowboys and aliens." and had to pack on the pounds for the highly anticipated "girl with the dragon tattoo." the violent thriller, that's being deemed the bad thriller of christmas. the director told him he was too fit to play the journalist. pardon me? >> what? >> come on. >> give me david finch. finally, a funny story from actor antonio banderas. he's become famous for many roles in his terrific career. but two that stand out is zorro,

and his voice as puss in boots. when he and his wife had a fund-raiser for president obama at their home this fall, and the secret service was giving the family code names, thankfully, he told "the hollywood reporter" they chose the former as his nickname, because the latter would have been really, really embarrassing. that is pop news. >> going to let you hang with that. >> hi-ya. and we'll get some weather. >> good morning, everybody. we are live in times square. you guys got up what time this morning? >> at 05. >> 05:00. we may have you beat inside. but i know it's rough. you have been outside all morning long. let's get to the boards. one or two things going on this morning we want to tell you about. we'll show you a live shot at jacksonville. used to work in that town. love that town. they helped me to start off. jacksonville, florida did. that entire area from st. augustine, that's florida's

first coast, they're having a rough time of it with a lot of heavy rain over the last couple of days. record-setting rainfall over the weekend. this lets up a little bit. and the heavier rain swings down to the south. but it's still a wet time in the state of florida today. if you're looking for milder air, as we get to the new york city area, standing in times square, you want some milder air? well, stay here until thursday. it will get here on thursday. >> it's gorgeous and beautiful in times square. how about -- gang, how about if we have a little music to send us off to the rest of the show.

guys? ♪ o come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant ♪ ♪ o come, ye o, come, ye ♪ ♪ to bethlehem >> beautiful. lara? that is so -- lara, josh, robin, george? >> thank you. >> encore. >> very nice. thank you so much. real quick, i do want to return. the code name for antonio banderas? what was your code name? >> i don't know. i don't remember. i'll try to find out. if i knew, i couldn't tell you or i would have to kill you. >> we're going to say -- we'll have it for good-byes. by the end of this hour, george. >> i cannot promise that. but i'll do my best. >> you will find out. or we're going to give you one. >> yeah. you're not allowed to make it up. we're not above making it up. here's what's coming up on our "gma morning menu." the couple that found themselves with paris hilton after one wrong number. they're here to tell us the stories of their adventures, hanging out with the a-list.

and alicia keys, revealing her brand-new project. how she is fulfilling one of her life-long dreams. and our friend, mario batali is here with some tasty dishes for the holidays. and a little competition. a little friendly competition for us. coming up on "gma. it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] the big christmas event is here. starting 8 a.m. saturday. with great deals on toys, electronics and more... the only place to go for last minute gifts is walmart. [ male announcer ] only subway has a deal this flat-out delicious -- the $3 flatbread breakfast combo. a toasty flatbread breakfast sandwich and a 16-ounce cup of seattle's best coffee or 21-ounce fountain drink. all for only $3.

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it's a great hd tv... shhh. don't speak. i'll just leave you two alone. [ male announcer ] the big christmas event is here. starting 8 a.m. saturday. with great deals on toys, electronics and more... the only place to go for last minute gifts is walmart. coming up, it's a great story. adventures in hollywood. there they are. a couple getting into all the right parties with the wrong cell number. adam sandler helped them crack the case. that and george's secret service code name, straight that and george's secret service code name, straight ahead. ist. and incredibly low prices on fleece activewear, only $9.99. plus, get coupons at searsstyle.com for over $100 in extra savings on top of already low sale prices. sears. hurry! sears real big gift sale is on now!

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so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates.

now, to that really cool story we've been mentioning all morning, how a new phone number can change your life. bob gray moved to los angeles with dreams of getting into movies. he bought a cell phone and found himself flooded with calls from some of the biggest names in hollywood. we're going to talk to them. he has his girlfriend with them. they have a lot of energy. but first, abc's david wright. >> reporter: these days, there's no such thing as a new phone number. chances are, that number belonged to someone else before you. as bob gray and his girlfriend, liza foster, found out, when they believed from cleveland to california. >> turns out, that the phone i got was this old lady who leaves her prescriptions at different pharmacies. >> reporter: but bob's new number? >> what i liked about the number is it was such an easy number to remember. >> reporter: turned out to be the ultimate wrong number.

>> a get this text message, i saw you on tmz. what a bummer. >> reporter: soon, he started getting texts from paris, the person, not the place. >> when paris texted us, the text said, hey, hon, it's my birthday party. big party in the hills. want you to come. love, paris. holy cow. we don't know a lot of parises. we know of one. >> reporter: it was paris hilton. and the party was her famous 30th birthday bash. >> we texted back. but put bob gray and liza foster on the list and send the address. >> reporter: they figured they weren't exact ligate-crashing. unlike vince vaughn in "wedding crashers." unlike the salahis at the white house, they were technically invited. and not just paris' party. >> it ran the gamut. i was getting calls from agents. getting calls from actors. from strangers that wanted to go to a party. >> bob has just gone up to the celebrity bubble and poked a few

fingers in. and it's an interesting place to be. >> reporter: so, whose number was it? when comedian adam sandler called, he solved the mystery. i told adam sandler he had the wrong number. i relayed the parties and fun i've been having with it, he thought it was hysterical. >> reporter: turns out the guy sandler thought he was calling is not a household name. but he's a familiar face from many funny films. comic actor, nick swardson. that's him. >> i think so many people in this country are obsessed with celebrity. i was, too. and a lot of people are looking through that glass window, wishing they could be at the party. i'm glad for the opportunity. and i'm glad i haven't been arrested yet for doing it. but it's been a fun time. >> reporter: naturally, bob is now writing a movie about the experience. >> adam, i just cleaned your star. call me. >> reporter: for "good morning

america," david wright, abc news, hollywood. >> you have his number. we reached out to paris and nick for our story. they declined to comment. joining us now -- oh, my gosh. you two are historical. bob gray and liza foster. you happened to get this number. and what happens? >> it was the craziest thing. back in january, i wanted to get a california area code. and she wanted to keep her ohio number. but i snuck out and i changed it. that day that i changed it, the next day, it said i saw your stuff on tmz. what a bummer. tmz? whose phone did i get. i called the guy who texted me. and he told me it was nick's. wow, i got his number. we got a bunch of nonsense calls. buddy, hey, how are you doing? saw you at the twins game. saw you at the laker game. i almost got rid of the number. >> you still have the number?

>> oh, yeah. we're hanging on to that. >> so, liza, tell me about it. we saw the pictures with paris hilton. when you did text back, you said put your names on. it wasn't like you were crashing. they had your names on the list. tell us when you rolled up, what did you roll up in? >> we rolled up in our dodge minivan with ohio plates. it was all rusted out. everybody there was in evening gowns and all dressed up. bob and i hadn't planned going to a party. i showed up in jeans and sneakers. >> but your names were on the list. they thought you guys aren't supposed to be here. >> no. when we rolled up in front of the mansion, the security guy said to me, i'll say it politely, and goes, who the heck are you? and i go, i'm bob gray. he rolls his eyes. he goes off and checks the list. and i swear, he was so embarrassed and mortified. yeah, you're on the list. i hop out of the car, i toss him

the keys and go, park it. [ laughter and applause ] >> and how did adam sandler help you -- >> adam called me -- called nick one night. i don't know who i am half the time. adam calls nick one night. and i recognize the voice. and i said, is this adam sandler? and he says, no, this is scrappy-doo. dude, i know it's you. i told him what was going on, especially the paris party. he thought it was historical. he said, bob, you have to write a script about this. i'll tell nick you're saving his messages. and he did. he told nick. >> is nick okay with this? >> i don't know. but about a week later, i'm driving down the road. and my phone rings. and the voice on the other end goes, how does it feel to be living my life? and it was nick. and i said, i've been waiting for you to call me for three months. i said, i've got all your

messages. he said, sandler told me you've been keeping them. we talked for a while. and he gave me his office number. and i was able to shoot over important messages. job offers. but i will go to his parties. nick, i'm going to your parties. >> that's going to happen. >> i would like for you to go with me one time. that would be nice. >> liza, you're an aspiring actress? >> yes. >> and you're going to turn this into a movie? >> liza, and i, and a writer adam jones, have been writing it. we're going to see it. and there's a little excitement. and the show is helping. >> good. >> as long as you have halle berry play me in the movie. >> she doesn't do you any justice. >> oh, i love this guy. >> wait a minute. >> my favorite couple. >> top that. we're going to have to move on to a special holiday edition

of "doc at your door." for those who thinking about all of the stress, it's doc at the mall. richard besser, here to show you how to stay healthy while you shop. ♪ >> reporter: holiday shopping at the mall, starts in the parking lot. see where one -- oh, no. not a single spot near the store. ever feel like parking's a complication? i'm giving up. i have a better idea. here's a tip. avoid the stress and get some exercise. park far away from the mall door. and avoid this. those extra steps count as extra exercise. the west field garden state plaza, the largest mall in new jersey. this is itchy. i don't know how santa does it. long lists. even longer lines. forget about it if you're after the top toy around, like arnold schwarzenegger was in "jingle all the way." >> excuse me. >> yes?

>> i'm trying to find the doll. >> me, too. >> reporter: do you get stressed out when you come to the mall? >>y yeah. >> i get stressed out watching her enjoy herself. >> reporter: holiday stress is no joke. research shows it can weaken your immune system, making your more likely to get sick. if you're bolting from store-to-store without a break, here's something that's proven to work, take a deep breath. and some advice. >> i leave early. >> reporter: give kids an agenda of their own. do you like coming to the mall? no? is it a challenge coming to the mall with kids? >> two toddlers? absolutely. >> reporter: and don't weigh yourself down with heavy shopping bags. any idea what they weigh? just under 12 pounds. >> oh, my. >> reporter: carrying around too much weight can cause long-term back and neck pain. >> ouch. >> reporter: 22.25 pounds. going to need a maage tonight. dr. b. tip, take a side trip to

the car and unload. 1 cinnabon, 880 salaries. thank god the smell is free. where there's a holiday waistline, there's a way to be healthy. you want to take the challenge? >> sure. >> reporter: go around the food court and find the healthiest lunch you can find. they are off. will they find anything besides hot dogs and french fries? >> i have a spring salad. >> reporter: if i hadn't given you ten bucks to get a healthy lunch, would you have come up with this? >> probably taco bell. >> i got a six inch. no dressing. no meat. no cheese. >> reporter: not bad, team. michael's sandwich adds up to 430 salaries. adriananna's salad -- you put on the dressing. michael has you beat. hand sanitizers. when you go to the food court,

there's no place to wash your hands. let's talk about germs. you go up the escalator. you worry, it's dirty. but you have to hold on to the handrail. 70% of accidents, are people falling. hold on to the handrail when you go up. then, when you get to the top, do what i do. it's not just surfaces. most germs that give you the flu come from being close to other shoppers. if the lady behind you in line has a wicked cough, all you have to do is inhale. and you have a holiday gift you don't want. now that i'm done shopping, let's see how far i've walked. it counts my steps. whoa. almost 6,000 steps. that's three miles. three miles of perfecting my wish list, weightlifting, sharing a few germs, and shaking off stress. i'm now ready for my gift. wow. come back in an hour.

back to business at the port of oakland this morning. just a handful of protesters voted to pack up and let the 7 a.m. shift get back to work. it has been 24 hours of destruction -- disruption. oakland's mayor says the protest was economic violence and it harmed poverty workers and truckers who are just -- harmed port workers and truckers who are just trying to make a living. bay bridge toll showing improve -- improvement. southbound 101 down to 580 fog still creeping southbound 80 walnut creek fine across the san mateo bridge heavy southbound 101 down to

palo alto and south 880 to fremont. >> we check with mike c

still have an issue you with visibility in novato quarter mile, still holding at freezing the likelihood of back ice is diminishing quickly. freezing still in livermore with a little fog. temperatures in the mid to upper 50s today with sun

slight chance of shower thursday bone dry the rest of the fore ♪ new york never gets old. >> can hear this anytime, anywhere. alicia keys, along with jay-z, singing grammy winner, "empire state of mind." now, she's producing a brand-new play called "stick fly." >> so much going on. >> you talked to her because she was with bono. >> fantastic. people are going to spend billions on gift cards this holiday season. so many go wasted. we'll tell you how to get the most out of the gift cards. gerri willis is here. and mario batali is here.

he's going to make one of our favorite dishes. on his way over to "the chew." always time to cook. and i'm sure mayhem will ensue. >> we're going to have bob gray, our ohio couple. >> the bob gray from hollywood? >> the bob gray. >> he's going to be part of mario's set there. and these lights things? >> it's big across the nation. you've been voting all day. let's get to our big showdown, my lights are better than your lights. two families went head-to-head monday. you voted all day yesterday. we can reveal that the schmidts are heading on to the semifinals. you remember them. the record, the music -- it's not a record anymore. now, for today's matchup, let's start with the family from margate, florida. 60,000 christmas lights. they get points. do they really get points if it's l.e.d. technology? are they saving energy here?

a laser shines dots on the house, simulating snow. this is quite a workup here. >> it is. who are they up against? >> against the zinkowskys, from sherman oaks, california. started by mike back in indiana. it is, if nothing, spectacular and rather thorough. 12th year this has been happening. three family members, including mom, actually get out there. and plywood cutouts. some robotics happening right there. >> he built his own. >> ten-minute show. runs nightly from 5:00, to 10:00 p.m. he builds the animatronics. that santa, the sleigh, the reindeer. that's a full-time gig. >> do people vote for either one of them? >> all day. you can vote on your "gma" app. you can vote on "gma's" facebook page.

vote now. vote often. we're not like -- we don't care how many times you vote. vote often. and the winners will be announced tomorrow. and then, it's like a bracket. they'll move in. two more tomorrow. >> you can stuff the ballot box. >> yes. you can stuff the ballot box. >> and like bacon, brackets make everything better. here we go. let's get to the boards. here's what's happening here. one or two things to talk about as you head out the door this morning. our twitter is alive this morning. look at omaha, nebraska. the shot showing snow. we know the snow is gone. but rochester hanging on to it. look how this warm system moves into the middle of the country. that big area of low pressure will mean heavy rain. dallas, to little rock, to kansas city, to chicagoland. that's more than two inches of rain through there. on the big boards today, from providence, 51. atlanta, 61. dallas, about 59. there's a little fog in california. but we're still on the dry side on the northwest. spokane about 27. >> your concentration.

so much going on. here and there. >> focused on the weather for >> all that -- all that weather was brought to you by toys "r" us. george? >> sam, you were keeping your focus. as gerri willis was coming in here. we're going to talk about gift cards. people spend almost $30 billion on gift cards. that's how much they're going to spend this year. and geri's here with how to get the most out of them. the first is to make sure you get what you pay for. >> you don't, really. there's service fees. there's shipping fees. am/ex charges a $3.95 service

fee. you get fees for inactivity. do dormancy. you get the best deal by buying store cards. they locked in their profit when they give you that card. >> store card, you get what's on the card. >> right. >> if you haven't used a gift card, you can trade it in? >> yeah. so, 25% of us have cards leftover from last season. you want to get the value of that card. go to a website, like card pool, plastic jungle. you want to make sure you're using the cards that you're given. sometimes mom gives you the talbots card. make sure you use the cards that you get. >> what's the best way to get a discount on the cards? >> if you want to get a discount on the cards, use redemption points, with your visa card, with any other branded banking card. sometimes you'll get more money by redeeming for a gift card than redeeming for cash.

it's one of those little secrets that people don't tell you about. >> and finally, you know, this happens to me all the time. i get a gift card. and i go into the store and spend three-times as much. you can't use it as an excuse to blow your budget. >> no, you can't. and two-thirds do the same thing. you get a $50 card, you spend 100 bucks. at the end of the day, the economy's so weak, you want to make sure you're spending wisely. >> what are other important things we need to know about gift cards? >> you want to get the right gift card for the right person. make sure you understand where they shop. the biggest problem is people just leave the cards in a drawer and they never use them. >> gerri willis, thank you very much. you can hear a lot more by going to goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! and coming up here, alicia keys isododododododododododododd

when alicia keys was a little girl, she could see the glittering lights of broadway from her home. but she took the world by storm

with her singing talent, as you know. now, she's setting out to conquer her old neighborhood in a whole, new way, behind the scenes of a new production. i've spoken with her and the cast of the new show, "stick play." alicia keys, director, performer, philanthropist, wife and mother. there's always a new height to hit. this time on the great white way, "stick fly." directed by kenny liam. here we are on broadway. >> yes. >> reporter: you look very happy and very much at home. >> i passed broadway my whole life. you know? it was something special about what my mother and i were able to do together. and she exposed me to this world. a beautiful artform where you have to engage the audience. creatively, i think it really, really affected me.

>> reporter: now, as producer of "stick fly," she hopes to bring a new audience to theater. paying it forward. do you see yourself up on stage? >> i don't know. the right moment, absolutely. >> reporter: when someone said what's "stick fly" about, how do you respond? >> it's at their home in martha's vineyard. they're a wealthy, black family. you see how their life is. and what you discover, is their life is just like your life. and it's just like my life. it doesn't matter where you grew up or what color you are. it's the story of a family, as their secrets unravel. and how they deal with it. >> you just have to look at everyone like they're bugs under a microscope. like ants. >> reporter: the actors who bring the characters to life are veteran stage these peens. ruben santiago-hudson. dule hill, rosie toms. and making broadway debuts, are

rola rashad, and makai pfeiffer. >> people are watching you doing this immediately. it's like a drug. >> everyone's going to come with their own narrative. and everyone's going to come see it with a different lens. >> reporter: i heard there's a few amens, too. >> that's what i love about it. people are moved. they're motivated, too. they express their emotion. that's where we get the -- tell 'em. and that kind of stuff. it's like going to church or something. >> reporter: it's the first night many people have seen you. so, how do you bring it? how do you bring it each and every night? >> there's so much in it, that every, single night, you do learn something. i never saw that. >> you have good genes in you, young lady. >> reporter: condola rashad's talented mother, is none other than alecia rashad. >> i wanted to be an actor.

but i grew up behind the scenes. i watched my mother take a character from the page and build it. >> reporter: what do you pull from? >> my life. i have to bring my life to any character i play. really, this has been a joy for me. i didn't know alicia was producing. but once i heard, come on. >> reporter: while alicia may not be acting in the play, her stage presence can be heard. she wrote the musical transitions between scenes. that quintessential alicia keys sound. even inspiring the cast to -- >> so, you know, i composed some music for between the scenes. so, each one has a different emotion. it goes with different parts of the play. i came one day. and afterwards, they started telling me, wait until you hear the songs we wrote to your music. they have written the words. >> reporter: can you give me a little bit? >> the theme song. >> "family ties." ready?

♪ family ties family ties ♪ ♪ family family ties ♪ ♪ oh, my family family ties ♪ ♪ i never >> reporter: and if all of that singing has you wondering if alicia is back in the recording studio, wonder no more. you kind of -- on twitter, you kind of alluded that you have something in the works. a new album, perhaps. >> i said thank you so much. you deserve the best. and i want to give you the best. so, when you hear this music, you're blown away. like, you're filled. >> are you like at the halfway point now? >> yeah. i think we have a couple more months. and we're ready to fly. >> reporter: there is a pace about you. do you think part of that is being a mom? and seeing egypt grow and do new

things every day? >> you know what? absolutely. like a million-trillion percent. and seeing that, it makes me really happy. >> she is in such a good place, everything that's going on in her life, personally and professionally. you can see "stick fly" on broadway right now. the cast is fabulous. coming up, you know who is magic? that man over there.mlmlmlmlmlml

our countdown to christmas is on. and mario batali, master chef, and author of "molto batali," is

here to make one of ur favorite dishes, tortellini brodo. let's start with how to make it. >> the first step is to make the filling. we have mortadella, pancetta. we have chicken or turkey or leftovers, for that matter. this is a great dish. we're going to add a little milk. >> okay. >> we're going to add an egg. we're going to add some of the indi indisputed king of cheeses, parmesan. >> thank you very much. a little bit of that. >> we'll put the top on now. go on. you go until it's just like that. you take a look. and you say -- >> okay. >> thank you very much. >> that's what the filling looks

like. >> that's it. >> nice and creamy and smooth like that. a little wetter, better than a little drier. keep in mind, we're going to cook these, inside the broth. >> oh, no. >> you have a problem with that? is there an issue. >> the filling. >> you made your filling. and you handmade your pasta. if that scared you or frightened you, you would buy the sheets at the grocery store. you cut them into two-inch squares like that. don't try to get ahead of josh there. >> never. >> and you take a little bit of the filling, like so. >> uh-huh. >> less than you think. if you put in too much, you'll never be able to close it. and you go just like that. >> and the sheets are available, any grocery store? >> yes. and if you read my cookbooks, you'll understand how easy it is to make it. and you go straight across like that. fold it into what looks like a little football. >> those two don't count, josh. >> they all count. you fold it around like this. and it comes together, just like

so. so, it looks a little -- >> it's a tiny envelope -- >> if it's too much. you thought -- american ideology, is that more is better. in fact, less is more. >> less is more. there you go. >> are you ready? >> time to create a great meal. >> bob and liza are going to -- >> hollywood's bob gray. >> hollywood's bob gray. >> great to see you. >> good to be back. >> thank you, liza with a "z." >> ready? less is more, josh. go. >> come on. >> you need to make at least a couple. >> come on. >> come on. >> oh, yeah. >> nice. >> the pressure. >> come on. >> i'll give you that one. that's two. >> come on. >> time, time. >> it's looking good.

>> that's three. >> come on. >> three. >> we're going. >> i'll give you credit for that. that's four. >> come on. >> oh, that's five. >> how are we doing on time? how are we doing? >> oh, mario. >> come on. you got it. >> you got it. >> six. >> seven. six -- >> that one doesn't look too good. >> hurry up. >> three, two, one. >> it's so much fun. >> wait a minute. >> oh. >> you cheated. >> hold on. hold on. >> it was him. >> just so -- >> sometimes you just got to walk away from it. >> there seems to have been a little bit of liberty taken with

some of the forms. this, on the other hand, i don't know. what do you think? how many. one, two, three, four, five, six. one, two, three, four -- >> no, no, no. >> nobody loses when you make tortellini, guys. you can't go wrong. >> that's poor craftsmanship right there. >> that is artistic license, my friend. so, the trick is this is our first course. you can serve it as a main course. you cook them in the chicken stock. if you nak it with a capon. the two side dishes are new from my book. brocco broccoli. and there's a law is. there's onion. chili flakes. garlic. you blanch it and bake the whole thing. >> stop it. you check out some of the recipes and some of mario's

favorites. and you can see mario every day, on "the chew." we'll be right back. on "the chew." we'll be right back. >> that's fine

on "the chew." we'll be right back. >> that's fine and even though you do what you can to take care of it, sometimes you want to give your immune system some support.

try new airborne chewable tablets. each serving contains 14 vitamins, minerals and herbs... including zinc, echinacea, ginger, and a blast of vitamin c. it's the easy, great-tasting way to help support your immune system. airborne. in fast-acting effervescent formula, and new super-convenient chewable tablets! mario, thank you.

i like the chicken broth. >> nice. >> got a quick check in on our warm hearts, warm coats drive. we have a goal of 1 million coats, as you know. and people are tweeting us their pictures. there's a picture of joseph, amy and luke. >> and sharon and ryan donated 22 coats in honor of her parents. you all have a good day. [ female announcer ] martinelli's gold medal sparkling cider

is the perfect choice for holiday gatherings. martinelli's is non-alcoholic, festive like champagne, and tastes great! martinelli's: since 1868. sears real big gift sale ne, andis on now.eat! save 50-60% off clothing for everyone on your list. and incredibly low prices on fleece activewear, only $9.99. plus, get coupons at searsstyle.com for over $100 in extra savings on top of already low sale prices. sears.

san francisco police are warning muni riders to be aware two morsel phone robberies over the weekend. right now let's check in with mike. >> fog starting to lift and still cold with 20s and 40s around san francisco and oakland. half mile in novato now, also improving. mostly sunny, low to mid 50s today maybe upper 50s around the bay. >> still heavy traffic peninsula south 101 san mateo to palo alto and south 80 to fremont. bay bridge toll looking better fine across thea